Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative movement disorder characterized by resting tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability. PD symptoms are classically attributed to dopamine depletion and the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). However, additional neuronal circuits are affected, and non-motor symptoms are often present, suggesting a systemic pathology. There is compelling evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction is a primary event in the disease process.
It has been reported that PD-related mutations and mitochondrial dynamics have a reciprocal relationship. PD-related mutations can perturb mitochondrial dynamics, and the consequences of these mutations can be modulated by mitochondrial dynamics. As such, there is a need to understand the function of mitochondrial dynamics in dopaminergic neurons to better understand Parkinson's disease.